Course XIII - Teaching 4: Continuous Asceticism

The Son that lives in the world needs great outer asceticism.
He can reach a rich and full inner life by transforming his outer life into continuous asceticism.
The Ascetic Prayer consists in transforming a sporadic action into a permanent state.
It is very difficult to reach a deep absorption in the world. Everything becomes a continuous urge to turn outwards. Then, irrespective of the very exercises, prayer must consist in transforming an outer aspect into an inner aspect, and everything into points of reversion, into reversible thought focuses.
Every center of outer concern must become means for inner call. A prayer of intention and offering must transform all this continuous activity, which is life in the world.
Daily points to stop become indispensable to achieve it. Besides moments devoted to exercises of prayer, you need other different, indispensable exercises to invert the positive and objective movement in the soul. These moments could be called moments of consciousness, silence and apparent passivity. There the soul is retired totally within; it draws inward the entire strength and display of powers, and remains motionless. But beware not to fall in mental speculations; everything must stop and remain silent. For a moment nothing more is necessary, but this moment can be filled quickly by a divine consciousness.
In no way this is in detriment of exercises and inner discipline. The Son must learn how to meditate properly and his discipline must be spontaneous; otherwise prayer would be somewhat fictitious and forceful.
Discipline should be his second nature; but not rigid, dogmatic discipline, but a discipline that, being intolerant with one self becomes tolerance and understanding with others.
The Son expresses his love for the Divine Mother by venerating and respecting his superiors, and following the Regulation and method made life in him. But, despite an entirely active life in the world, he must be initiated in mysteries of the divine life, not only within, but also in his human experiences and even in his social experiences.
Inner participation preached would be a cruel gibe if it were not reflected on effective understanding of human evils; if separateness, selfishness and prevalence of the personal aspect over the universal aspect continued, and if at the same time, a practical and effective solution of evils of the world were not looked for.